Daniel Sanders, Sebastien Loeb win Stage 2 of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Abu Dhabi: Daniel Sanders and Sebastien Loeb stood out to register wins in the second stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Monday. The stage loop covered a total of 302 kilometres, including 228 kilometres of special stages in the visually spectacular southern fringes of the Liwa Oasis area.

Sanders took a comfortable win after leading the special from flag to flag in the bikes category. The Australian Red Bull KTM Factory rider finished 3m 59s ahead of Hero Motorsports rider Josee Ignacio Cornejo and over five minutes clear of Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Adrien Van Beveren. Overnight leader Tosha Schairena was the first to start in the early morning, and after providing the tracks for other to more comfortably follow, the Spaniard finished seventh and dropped to third overall behind new event leader Sanders and Red Bull KTM Factory rider Luciano Benavides.

Defending FIM World Rally Raid champion Ross Branch was forced to quit the rally when a clutch issues on his Hero 450 Rally could not be repaired.

In the cars category Sebastien Loeb topped a double podium finish for Dacia Sandriders. The nine-time World Rally Champion won the stage 1m 37s ahead of teammate Nasser Al Attiyah but the Qatari driver was later handed a penalty that dropped him to third behind Stage 1 winner Lucas Moraes of Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Loeb now moves into the overall lead, with Moraes trailing by just 41 seconds and Al Attiyah almost three minutes adrift.

In the Challenger class, BBR Motorsport continue to dominate with Yasir Seaidan taking the stage win ahead of teammates Dania Akeel and Pau Navarro as the team claimed a second successive podium clean sweep of the event.

In the Rally 2 bikes category, SRG Motorsports’ Michael Docherty dominated the stage to remain unbeaten since the start of the event. The South African took victory 3m 37s ahead of teammate Tobias Ebster, with Duust Rally Team’s Konrad Dabrowski in third place.

It was a mixed day for competitors from the region. The new Liwa Team UAE had a solid second stage with Mansour Al Helei and co-driver Khalid Alkendi finishing third in the SSV class, while R-X Sport’s Yahya Al Helei was close behind, ahead of Quaddy Race Middle East’s Atif Alzarouni. Mansour Al Helei retain second place overall in the class. However, there was disappointment for Emirati Quad rider Adbulaziz Ahli. The four-time event winner was halted by a technical issue midway through the second stage and the delay drops him well out of contention. The Quad win went to Lithuania’s Antanas Kanopkinas.

Emirates Motor Sports Organisation (EMSO) President Khalid Ben Sulayem, said: “A second day of tough terrain and challenging conditions and once again we have seen some spectacular action. Fuelling the competitors, and the support vehicles including helicopters, in such extreme conditions is no easy task but each year Adnoc Distribution executes the supply of energy faultlessly and we look forward to many more years together.”

Tomorrow’s Stage 3 kicks off one of the most daunting phases of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as competitors make their way to remote Al Qua’a.

One the darkest places in the UAE, Al Qua’a is normally a stargazers’ paradise, but for the next two days the area known as the ‘Milky Way Spot’, will house the Marathon Camp, which for the first time in the 34-year history of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will include cars as well as bikes.